Noninvasive ultrasonic imaging systems are widely used for performing ultrasonic imaging and taking measurements. Such systems typically use scan heads which are placed against a patients skin. Exemplary uses for such systems include heart and internal organ examinations as well as examinations of developing fetuses. These systems operate by transmitting ultrasonic waves into the body, receiving echoes returned from tissue interfaces upon which the waves impinge, and translating the received echo information into a structural representation of the planar slice of the body through which the ultrasonic waves are directed.
Catheter based invasive ultrasound imaging systems, typically used for intracardiac or transvascular imaging, are a relatively new addition to ultrasound armamentarian. Conventional underfluid transducers for use on catheters are comprised of crystal arrays (e.g. linear phased array) or a single crystal translated over a surface, producing a tomographic field of view in an azimuthal plane of the array. Typical arrays include: 1) linear array (linear sequential array), usually producing a rectangular or rhomboidal picture; 2) cylindrical array or rotating crystal, producing a round pie-shaped tomographic cut of structures; and 3) sector array (linear phased array), producing a triangular shaped image emanating from a small transducer source. All images are tomographic in nature and are focused in the azimuthal and elevation plane. The intent of having these conventional transducer configurations is to produce a thin ultrasound cut of the insonated structures. Such tomographic planes by nature are thin and of high resolution.
The narrow field of view provided by conventional catheter transducer configurations is problematic because structures lying outside of the plane of view can only be visualized by reorienting or manipulating the catheter. Due to the tortuous and confined nature of a typical catheter pathway, catheter manipulation is impractical and often impossible. Consequently, the localization of specific targets is difficult and at times can be disorienting because of an inability to appreciate contiguous anatomic landmarks.
Advances in 3-dimensional imaging capabilities have been made with respect to non-catheter related ultrasonic imaging systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,756, issued to Entrekin et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses general 3-dimensional imaging techniques in a non-catheter based context. What is needed is a catheter based imaging system that utilizes 3-dimensional imaging techniques to provide a wide field of view so as to improve anatomic localization for precision underfluid diagnostics and interventions.